Page 59

I t was strange to walk within the mountain. The room he had been given was large enough, with even a ledge for Winter, bedded with straw. Still, to be somehow deep within the earth, yet high above the ground, was a hard thing to parse, leaving Jai dizzy. It reminded him of his visit to Leonid’s fabled whorehouse, and his journey down Latium’s cliff to the plague pits.

With the day still his own, he soulbreathed, drawing in the mana that ebbed freely through the labyrinth of tunnels. A definite current of the life force was discernible, and Jai pursued it, ending up once again in the midst of the fungal fields. With Winter peacefully curled up below, Jai adopted a cross-legged posture, inviting the influx of mana. Whereas before, she’d freely given all she’d had to Jai, today she kept it for herself. He didn’t blame her – the power of flight was addictive, it seemed.

This place... was special. The Great Steppe had been awash with mana, swirling up from the grasslands themselves. But here... the mana had a different source.

He could see mote after golden mote emerging from the furling, protruding fungi, larger and purer than any he’d seen before. Jai inhaled deeply, drawing the golden motes towards him. The tiny particles floated, almost suspended in the air before disappearing, absorbed through his skin, his nostrils, his very being. He felt them as they travelled, following the trajectory of his breath, a cool, tingling sensation making its way down to his core.

Here, the mana was transformed into a bright, gold-white liquid, slowly drip, drip, dripping into his innermost self.

He released some, allowing each drop to imbue a soothing energy coursing through his veins, mending his cuts and bruises. He dared not waste it with a healing spell, and was glad that his wounds were not greater than they were.

As the mana continued its work, Jai found himself losing track of time. The passage of hours seemed immaterial in this ethereal realm of quietude and growth. Cocooned in the dark, yet vibrantly alive, he knew now why the tunnels seemed to spiral up.

He knew too that this must be the source of the Caelite’s power, a thick smog of mana that made soulbreathing easy for even the most untrained soulbound. This was why so many came to this place. This was the secret of the Caelite. Who knew how dense the mana became, as it swirled up to the top?

Around him, the fungal cornucopia maintained its ceaseless rhythm. He was amazed how this world was far from silent. He could hear the gentle creak of mushroom caps growing, audible to none but him and Winter, and the faint rhythm of his own heart beating. And somehow, in the distance, the chittering of bats, the delicate rustle of their wings, oblivious to it all.

He could feel his core filling, faster than it had ever before, and he felt an excitement, realising how much he longed to have it full once more. To follow his path, stretch his core so he could become more than just ascended, but a higher level of soulbound. He wasn’t even sure if there was such a thing, but he could feel there had to be.

Just one more thing to strive for .

Engrossed in his reverie, Jai was abruptly jerked back to reality when something wet and slimy struck the back of his head. The unexpected sensation sent a jolt of surprise through him. He touched his head to find a green streak of bat guano upon his fingers.

He spun around, the vestiges of his peaceful meditation evaporating.

Standing before him were three devotees, their faces stern, their demeanour hostile. Each had a terror bird at their side, the large eyes unblinking and predatory, matching that of their handlers.

Jai instinctively rose to his feet, even as Winter let out a threatening rumble, uncurling from where she’d lain. The cold drip of bat guano slid down the back of his neck, and he brushed it off with a grimace, never breaking eye contact with the intruders.

His hand strayed to his empty belt, remembering he’d left his sword and scabbard in his chamber. Still, he raised his fingers in warning, contorting them in the ready position for majicking, as Rufus had told him to.

To his surprise, the trio did the same, fingers raised, their faces even angrier. So they had some training, then.

‘What’s all this?’ Jai growled. ‘You dare insult the khan of the Kidara?’

A surge of tension hung in the air, as thick as the mana that ebbed around them. The three devotees exchanged glances, their gazes only leaving him for a moment.

‘Dare insult?’ one of the three began, a sneer pulling at his lips. His head was shaved entirely, in the style of the roq riders Jai had seen earlier. ‘It is you who trespass on the codes of the Caelite, khan or not.’

Jai was silent, trying to figure out if Winter could take the three beasts on her own. He looked closer, taking in the strange creatures that shared his opponents’ lives and, apparently, their souls. The beasts were akin to giant ostriches, yet their appearance was far more intimidating. The terror birds stood taller than any man, their bodies dominated by a long, slender neck that ended in a sharp, hooked beak, as thick as a toucan’s and twice as sharp. Their large orange eyes were piercing and alert, providing an eerie focus as they stared him down. What caught his attention, though, was the plumage around their eyes, a cascade of feathers in an array of garish colours – blues, greens, yellows, even hints of red. It was strangely beautiful against their otherwise drab plumage.

Their legs were thick and muscular, ending in large claws that rivalled Winter’s own, splayed wide for gripping the unyielding rocky terrain that was their habitat. Their wings flapped with nervous energy, small things, but perhaps enough to allow them to slow a fall. More than anything, they were large – far larger than he’d guessed now they were up close. And despite their size, he could see a controlled grace to their movements, a deadly elegance that spoke of their predatory nature.

He wasn’t sure he and Winter would be able to best these three pairs. For some reason, that made him angrier.

‘Tell me, then,’ Jai snapped. ‘Clearly you hold some ill-judged grievance.’

His mana-charged fingers twitched, ready to snap into the fire-casting position at any moment. The trio shared another glance before the one in the middle, a woman with a streak of silver in her otherwise raven hair, spoke too. Her words were sharp, like the frosty peaks that towered above them.

‘We did not fly here on the backs of dragons. We did not bypass the trials of the climb, nor did we shirk our duty to the Caelite. We stole a terror bird egg each, risking our lives in ravines of the sanctuary, as is the way of all devotees among the flock. Nursed them from hatchlings to adults. Bared our soul and shared in their spirit. We paid our dues. And yet now we hear you plan to make the climb alone, tomorrow. You only arrived today!’

Jai shrugged.

‘You presume to judge me,’ Jai said. ‘You have no idea the trials I’ve gone through, for one thing. Yet you deign to speak on behalf of the Caelite? Then on behalf of myself, I say this: I shall not forget to relate this generous gesture, when I reach the top.’

The woman let out a gasp, as if shocked by his rudeness – as if it was his rudeness in question, not this trio’s – but the third, a man little older than Jai, held her back before she could do something they all regretted.

‘We do not prejudge,’ he said, her previous words belying this statement. ‘But know this. The Caelite welcome those that provide for them, and you bring them nothing.’

‘My Alkhara lies on that slab outside,’ Jai retorted. ‘One of you cowards killed him, butchered him, brought him here. I thank you for the kind favour, but the claim to that gift is mine.’

Fire was now spurting from their hands, a trio of swirling balls of flame, hovering upon their fingers. Winter’s rumble turned to a roar, and now Jai could see the Caelite’s flock, hurrying towards them.

‘You will lay no such claim!’ the first man bellowed.

Jai flexed his fingers, feeling out the shield spell, letting the mana flow as he twitched them this way and that, feeling the resistance as he corrected his form.

He let a little spurt out, and a white, ethereal shape floated in a mass before him. He shaped it as Rufus had taught him to do with flame, leaving an opaque pane, seemingly fragile as the glass it mimicked. It moved with his hand, as if connected to his wrist by an invisible frame.

Even as he did this, he also lifted his right hand, this one less used to spellcraft, and prepared his own fireball. Not in time, though, as the first of his opponent’s fireballs slammed against his shield, the pane cracking, heat flooding around its edges to sear his wrist. He’d been in battle, though, and while it surprised him, it wasn’t enough for him to lose focus. He pumped more mana to his shield, new layers sloughing over, even as his fireball swelled.

And you don’t have shields—

‘You will stop this at once!’

The fireballs of the three before him winked out, one by one, and after a moment, Jai reabsorbed the mana of both his spells in response as well. Cyrus skidded to a halt between them, a dozen spearmen following. The soldiers looked terrified, the spears held awkwardly in their hands. The Caelite’s flock were no fighters, that was becoming obvious.

‘What are you doing?’ Cyrus demanded.

The three devotees said nothing, just staring daggers at Jai. He thought about explaining what had happened to Cyrus, but then decided against it. He stood there, coolly looking back at the three who had attacked him.

‘Fine,’ Cyrus said, the anger mixed with what sounded like relief at this not escalating further. ‘You three – go!’

The older man nodded curtly, taking the woman’s arm to pull her away. Jai continued to make no move, and that seemed to be enough to antagonize the first man.

‘You won’t make the climb alone tomorrow,’ he hissed, stabbing a finger at him. ‘We’ll see who claims the gift first.’

‘I’m looking forward to it,’ Jai finally said.

And as anxious as the prospect was, he realised a part of him was looking forward to the challenge, if only to show up these presumptuous bastards.